Toe-molding machine.



A. BATES.

TOE MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 19, 1912 1,1 17,629. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

( YA/l/ A/WR YHL' NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTOLIY'HON WASHNGTON. '16.

A. BATES.

TOE MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00110, 1912.

1,1 17,629. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

VV/T/VESSES //\/l/E/\/ 747R fM g here s'rarns rn'rnn'r orm'on.

ARTHUR BATES, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SI-IOE MACHINERYCOMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TOE-MOLDING- MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR Barns, a subjectof the King of England, residing at Leicester, Leicestershire, England,have invented certain Improvements in Toe-Mold ing Machines, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification, like refer ence characters on the drawingsindicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for molding the toes of boot and shoevamps and it has for its general object to improve such machines wherebythey may perform better work and be more readily adaptable to differentsizes and styles of shoes than has been the case heretofore.

In machines of the type above referred to as heretofore constructed thetoe of the shoe to be blocked or molded, is pressed between a male moldand a cooperating female mold which are shaped in accordance with theportion of the shoe to be treated and which are preferably heated.

It is an object of the present invention to improve this pressingoperation by causing the molds to perform a wiping as well as a pressingfunction.

To this end a feature of the invention is the provision in a machine formolding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatory to lasting the saidtoes of means that, during the relative movement of approach between themale and female molds to exert pressure upon. the toe, permits arelative transverse movement of the molds which transverse movementcombined with the movement of approach effects a wiping of the upperover the male mold in the direction of the toe. By this transversemovement the acting surfaces of the molds slide one in relation to theother and thus exert a wiping oneration upon the material placed betweenthem. in a convenient construction according to this feature of theinvention one of the moles movably mounted upon the part that supportsit. and there are yielding means that tend to maintain it slightly outof register with its cooperating mold. With such a construction, duringthe relative movement of approach of the molds the marginal part of thefemale mold first contacts with the material near the high peak of thetoe and then moves over it with a wiping action toward the edge of thepoint Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1912.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914;.

Serial No. 726,728.

of the toe as the approach of the molds continues. Owing to the factthat the molds are somewhat concave and convex respectively in form thearea of the female mold that is in sliding contact with the materialgradually increases and just prior to the completion of the pressingmovement substantially the whole surface of the mold is effecting awiping action on the material. If desired, both molds, instead of oneonly, may be movably mounted upon their supports and in such case eachmold would be provided with the yielding means aforesaid which wouldpermit them to move in opposite directions to perform their wipingfunction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means forsupporting the upper and its associated parts while one end of the shoeis being molded; and accordingly another feature of the inventionconsists in the provision in a machine for molding the toes of boot andshoe vamps preparatory to lasting the said toes and having male andfemale molds that exert pressure on the toe. of a gage device that isadapted to locate the heel end of the work with relation to the molds.

Conveniently, the said device may have provision for any or all of thefollowing adjustments:viz. an adjustment toward and from the molds toaccommodate it to uppers of different sizes; an adjustment laterally ofthe shoe to suit right and left uppers or for uppers of different stylesof shoes; and an adjustment vertically of the shoe to deal with uppersof shoes in which the spring varies from the normal. In conjunction withany or all of these adjustments, gage marks or stops or similar meansmay be used to indicate or determine the amount of adjustment that isrequired for uppers of shoes of difierent styles or sizes. The gagedevice may also be provided with an edge gage to determine the extent towhich it shall project into the upper.

The invention will now be described as embodied in two constructions,the one for use in molding the toe of an upper before it has been placedupon a last and the other for use in molding the toe after the upper hasbeen placed upon and pulled over the last in the usual manner but beforelasting takes place, but it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to either of these the illustrated embodiments of theinvention and will then be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a broken side elevation partly in sectionof a mold ing machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a viewof a portion of the gage device illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 2 is asection through the connection between the outermold and its holdingblock; and Fig. 3 is a view .similar to Fig. 1 showing a secondconstruction.

Projecting from the base 1 of the machine there is a bracket 2 having avertical recess in which is placed for reciprocating movement'one end ofa work support at. The lower end of the work support is connected to apowerful toggle mechanism in the base of the machine which in turn isconnected to a treadle 5 so that the operator on depressing the treadlemay actuate the toggle mechanism to raise the work support toward thehead of the machine. The connection between the lower end of the worksupport and the said toggle mechanism is such that the work support maybe revolved in its recess in the bracket so as to vary its positionlaterally with relation to the machine. The head of the machine iscurved so as to pro ject overthe work support and carries directly abovethe work support a vertically adjustable spindle 8 having its lower endscrew threaded and supplied with a small hand wheel 9 by which thevertical position of the spindle may be adjusted. So far the partsdescribed are common to both constructions.

The chief elements of the first construction'are a female or outer mold,a male or inner mold to cotiperate therewith and a gage device. The worksupport dis bored at its upper end to receive a rod carrying themale-mold 10 which is adapted to be inserted into the inside of the toeof the upper and is shaped in this instance between the shape of the toeof a right shoe and the toe of a left shoe. Should, however, it bedeemed desirable the male mold might be shaped to fit the toe-of a rightshoe and a separate mold be shaped for a left shoe, the two beingadapted to be interchanged in any convenient manner upon the top of theworksupport. The female mold is a block shaped'at its under side tocorrespond to the spindle 8 which is mounted in the head of,

the machine. In a boss 22 projecting from the rear portion of thecarrier 1s a sprlngpressed plunger 24- whose forward end acts upon aportion of the rear end of the hold- 1 ing block 18 thus tending toforce the latter in a forward direction or toward the heel end of theshoe.

The gage device will now be described. Below the male mold 10 there isprojecting from the work support 4: a bracket 25 in a recess in which ashort stud 26 is adapted to rotate. The top of this stud projects beyondthe surface of the bracket and is provided with lugs 27 which carrybetween them a horizontal pivot pin 28 upon which is pivoted acylindrical slide bar 29. vA gage carrier 30 encircles the slide bar andis provided with a key adapted to slide in akeyway 32- in the slide barso that the gage carrier is permitted longitudinal movement upon theslide bar but is prevented from rotational movement. The under surfaceof the slide bar 29 is provided with rack teeth 33 adapted to engagewith the teeth of a pinion mounted in the gage carrier upon a spindle3'1 provided with a small hand wheel 35 at its outer end. Convenientlythe gage marks may be provided upon the slide bar to indicate thedifferent sizes of uppers so that by turning the hand wheel the carriermay be quickly and accurately adjusted to the position requisite for anyparticular size that it is wished to operate upon. .The upper portion ofthe gage carrier. 30 is pro vided with an edge gage 36 for the loweredge of the counter of the upper and with an upwardly projecting horn orcounter gage 38 adapted to be inserted inside the heel endof the upper.This horn may be made removable in order that another horn of differentcurvature may be provided according to the curvature of the counter uponthe upper which is to be worked upon and it may be held in position bymeans of a screw having at its outer end a thumb nut. At the outer endof the aforementioned bracket 25 there is provided a recess in which isslidable a circular shank 4:0 that carries at its upper end a curvedplate 42 provided with a series of holes 43 in which limit stops 44 maybe placed, the distance of the plate from the bracket being adjusted bymoving the shank 40in its recess and gripping it in adjusted position bymeans of a set screw 45. The cylindrical slide bar 29 rests upon thecurved plate l2 and consequently when the plate is adjusted in relationto the bracket the slide bar is also adjusted about its horizontal pivotpin 28 this adjustment being provided to accommodate uppers havingvariations in spring. In order to accommodate the varying swings ofright and left shoes the slide bar 29 with its pivot pin 28 and the stud26 which carries it is rotated in the recess in the bracket 25. theamount of rotation being limited by the limit stops l l inserted in thecurved plate. It will thus be seen that the slide bar 29 and with it thegages 36, 38 may be adjusted in two directions at right angles to eachother while the gages may be adjusted by sliding their carrier 30 uponthe slide bar in a direction at right angles to each of the other two.

The operation of the machine is as follows :The upper which is to haveits toe molded has assembled with it besides the upper material, the toestiffener and the lining. The stock is first placed in correct positionwith its toe end upon the male mold 10 and its heel end dropped over thecounter gage 38 until it rests upon the edge gage 36 and then thecarrier 30 is adjusted to correct position; or if desired, the gages maybe adjusted to correct position before the upper is placed in themachine. Having correctly positioned the stock the treadle 5 isdepressed and the work support carrying the male mold 1O commences torise toward the female mold 15. As it rises the portion of the femalemold which shapes the point of the toe is the first to come into contactwith the upper upon the male mold. Continued ascent of the male moldconsequently rocks the holding block 18 of the female mold along thecurved guideway. so that as the ascent proceeds there is not only adownward pressing movement but also a sliding movement toward the pointof the toe which tends to wipe the material forward as well as downward.In this manner the material forming the toe is smoothly and accuratelypositioned before the pressure which does the actual molding is applied,so that all un sightly creases are removed and the toe as finally moldedis smooth. The wiping action of the mold is greatest on the point of thetoe and decreases more and more from that point so that the last portionof the female mold which comes into contact with the toe cap has noappreciable wiping action upon it. To facilitate the plaiting of theoverlapping margin of the upper during the lasting process the molds maybe made with a corrugated portion adjacent to the lower margin of theupper. By mounting the female mold upon the curved guideway it has notonly a wiping action upon the toe but can the more easily accommodateitself to suit variations in the thickness of the materials forming thetoe.

In order that the machine may be adapted to operate upon toes of varyingthicknesses without liability of damaging or breaking the machine partsor without the relative positions of the male and female molds havingbeen previously adjusted there may he means provided to permit the worksupport to yield under the action of the toggle whenever a predeterminedpres sure is reached.

It is sometimes of advantage to mold an upper after it has been pulledover on its last preparatory to lasting and accordingly :1 constructionof the invention will now be described suitable for molding the toeafter the pulling-over operation has taken place. The work support 4 ismounted on the frame of the machine as in the former con struction. Uponthe top end oftheworksupport there is pivoted a lug 50 which carries atits top end a female mold 52 adapted to receive a shoe in invertedposition with its tread face upward. The lower end of the lug hasprojecting inward a shoulder 54 which is pressed upward by a springpressed plunger mounted in an aperture in a projection 56 on the insideof the work support. Bv these means the mold 52- is tilted slightlvtoward the heel of the shoe so that when the shoe is laidin the mold thetop forward edge of the mold will contact with the toe while the rest ofthe mold will be clear. It will be noted that in this construction themale mold is formed by the toe of the last. In the head of the machineabo e the female mold there is mounted as in the former construction a.vertically adjustable spindle 8 whose lower end is adapted to contactwith the tread face of the last, which in this instance corresponds withthe male mold 10 of Fig. 1. By these means the upper limit to which theshoe and conseuuentlv the female mold will rise under action of thetoggle mechanism is defined. W'hen the treadle is depressed the togglemechanism raises the work support until the tread face of the shoestrikes the end of the spindle 8 that is located directly over the pivot58 of the female mold. As the work support continues to rise the toe ofthe last is gradually forced into the female mold and the latter isgradually rocked inward from its first position so that during thecontinued rising of the work support there is not onlv an upwardpressing movement of the female mold but also the before mentionedsliding movement toward the point of the toe which tends to wipe thematerial at the toe upward (that is to sav toward the tread face of thelast) as well as forward. As in the former construction the wipingaction of the mold is greatest upon the point of the toe and decreasesmore and more from that point so that the last portion of the femalemold which comes into contact with the toe cap has no appreciable wipingaction upon it.

Since in this construction there is a last inside the material beingoperated upon there is no necessity for the gages for the back and lowerend of the upper such as are provided in the former construction. Instead, therefore, of a gage carrier the slide bar 29 mentioned inconnection with the de scription of the former construction of gagedevice is pro vided with a carrier tSU movable upon the slide bar as isthe said gage carrier but provided on its upper surface with an arm 62projecting upward into proximity with the back end of the counter. Uponthis arm there is located a V-shaped heel rest 6% which is adapted tosupport the heel. end of the last while the toe end is supported by thefemale mold. The heel rest will, of course, be adjusted toward and fromthe female mold along the slide bar as were the gages in the formerconstruction. The slide bar itself has the same adjustments as before;

Should it be desired to embody the invention in a power operated machineinstead of a manually operated machine it would be convenient to do soin a machine of the type described and illustrated in the specificationof prior United States Letters l-atent No. 1,02 ,567 granted June i,1912, since this machine is provided with a turret tool holder in whichit would be convenient to fix the upper mold in a manner in which anyother tool would be inserted in the turret; It is to be understood.however, that the invention is not limited to embodiment in the types ofmachines mentioned nor to the constructions described since the detailsmight be considerably varied both in construction and arrangementwithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for molding the toes of hoot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting the said toes, inner and outer molds, means for supportingthe molds, operating means for effecting relative approach of the molds,and means that, during the relative movement of approach between themolds to exert pressure on the toe, permits a relative transversemovement of the molds which transverse movement combined with themovement of approach effects a wiping of the upper over the innermold inthe direction of the toe.

2. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting the said toes, male and female molds and sustaining meanstherefor including a support on which the female mold is mov ablymounted, operating means for effecting relative movements of approach ofthe molds, and yielding means tending to main tain said movably mountedmold slightly out of register with the other mold, the arrangement beingsuch that as the molds approach. one another the marginal part of thefemale mold first contacts near the higher peak of the toe and'thenmoves with a wiping action over the material of the upper as theapproach of the molds con tinues.

3. In a machine for molding the toes of boot or shoe ramps off the lastpreparatory to lasting the said toes, molding devices that exertpressure on the toe and a gage device constituting a permanent part ofthe machine and adapted to extend upwardly through the bottom of theupper into engag-ement with the rear end of the upper to locate the heelend of the work with relation to the molds, combined with means tosecure adjustments of the said gage device laterally of the shoe.

4. In a machine for molding the toes of boot orshoe vamps preparatory tolasting the said. toes, molding devices that exert pressure on the toeand a gage device that is adapted to locate the heel. end of the workwith relation to the molds, with means to effect an adjustment of thesaid device ertically with relation to the plane of the molding devicesto deal with uppers of shoes in which the spring varies from the normal.

5. In a machine for molding the toesof boot or shoe vamps preparatory tolasting the said toes, the combination with operating means, of innerand outer molds of.

suitable shape and supporting means for the outer mold permitting it toturn about a center, and means for holding it yieldingly at the time itengages the work tipped out of register with the inner mold.

6. In a machine for molding the toes of boot or shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting the said toes, inner and outer molds of suitable shape andsupporting means for the outer mold having a slideway curved about acenter above the work, a head on said mold to move in the slideway, andmeans acting normally to press said head toward one end of the slidewayand hold the outer mold out of alinement with the inner mold.

7. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, of awork support bored at its upper end, a mold adapted to be inserted intothe inside of the toe of a vamp and having a rod received in the boredportion of said support, a cooperating mold shaped at its under side tocorrespond to the shape of the inside mold and having a shank, a holdingblock in the lower side of which the shank is gripped and having uponits upper side a curved guideway, a carrier having curved tongues lyingin a plane approximately parallel with the length of the shoe and uponwhich the guideway can slide, a boss projecting from the rear portion ofthe carrier and a spring pressed plunger in said boss the forward end ofwhich acts upon a portion of the rear end of the holding block to forcethe latter toward the heel end of the shoe and yieldingly hold thecooperating mold slightly out of register with the inside mold when thecooperating mold first engages the vamp.

S. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, ofinner and outer toe molds, a work support on which the inner mold iscarried and which has a bracket, a slide bar connected to the bracket topivot about two axes perpendicular to each other for movement in twodirections, a gage carrier on the bar, and rack and pinion means toadjust the gage carrier on the bar in a third direction.

9. In a machine for molding the toes of boots and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, ofinner and outer toe molds, a work support on which the inner mold iscarried and which has a bracket, a slide bar connected to the bracket topivot about two axes perpendicular to each other, and a gage carrieradjustable on the bar and provided with an edge gage for the lower edgeof the heel portion of the vamp and with a removable, upwardlyprojecting, horn adapted to be inserted inside the heel end of theupper.

10. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vamps preparatoryto lasting axes to accommodate uppers having variations in spring, saidplate being provided with a series of holes, and limit stops removablymounted in said holes for determining lateral positions of the bar aboutthe other of its said two axes to accommodate varying swings of rightand left shoes for which uppers are to be molded.

11. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, ofinner and outer molds arranged to effect upon the toe of the vamp firsta wiping action toward the toe end of the vamp and toward the marginthereof, and then a compression of the vamp between the molds.

12. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with mold actuating means, ofinner and outer molds arranged to effect automatically a wiping actiontoward the toe end of the vamp and toward its margin which action isgreatest at the point of the toe and finally to efifect compression ofthe stock so wiped.

13. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vamps preparatoryto lasting said toes, the combination with inner and outer molds, ofsupporting and actuating mechanism thereforarranged to impart relativeclosing movements to the molds and also relative movements by which theouter mold has a wiping action over the toe lengthwise of the shoe andtoward the marginal edge of the toe prior to compression of the vampbetween the molds.

14:. In a machine for molding the toes of boot and shoe Vampspreparatory to lasting said toes, the combination with inner and outertoe molds and means for supporting and actuating the molds to applymolding pressure to a vamp toe, of means acting on one of the molds atone side of the line of pressure for normally maintaining that moldslightly out of alinement with the other mold priorto and at the instantof engagement with the toe of the vamp for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR BATES. lVitnesses:

FREDERICK WILLIAM Worm, WILLIAM THOMAS BUOKINGHAM Romans.

copies of this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

